1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, such as a digital camera. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shutter control technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a shutter device used in an image pickup apparatus, a shutter device that successively moves a front blade group (front curtain) and a rear blade group (rear curtain) and that performs an exposure operation using a slit formed between both of the blade groups (that is, between the front curtain and the rear curtain) is available. In such a shutter device, the front curtain and the rear curtain are moved in predetermined directions from an exposure start position towards an exposure end position by biasing forces of springs, respectively.
In recent years, an image pickup apparatus in which, among a front curtain and a rear curtain of a shutter device, the front curtain is replaced by one that performs electronic operations (such as successively performing a reset operation with every line in an image pickup element) is available (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-228047).